Chapter 3

Author Notes: Back from vacation. Made a couple retroactive changes to previous chapters.

1. Villain system was changed to Impuratus System for story reasons

2. Saryn's thoughts about his new family were toned down a bit in intensity because it didn't sit well with me after I considered the arc he is going to take and his personality taken from his past life.

Anyway, hope these changes make sense. These feel like patch notes, though... Anyway, thanks for reading.

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Saryn quietly observed the face of a tall and sturdy-looking bear of a man standing over his bed. The man's gold irises barely peeked out between his eyelids. Squinting at Saryn further obscured his already narrow eyes. Wavy dark brown hair covered most of his ears and neck. His long and sharp nose hooked downward like the beak of an eagle. A well-maintained 5 o'clock shadow of a goatee surrounded his thick lips which curled into a displeased frown. He wore a stalwart military-esque uniform that was mostly black in color aside from the white front placket and three white stripes near the elbows of each sleeve.

"What is the name of the boy who hurt you, son?" The man questioned, a hint of murderous rancor lacing his cold and stoic voice.

Sighing at the man's first words since entering the room over a minute ago, Saryn shook his head and replied, "The kid doesn't matter. Just let me recover first and take care of it later."

[Opted to pursue a less aggressive stance toward an Electus than a normal Impuratus.]

[+10 Impuratus Points.]

Two sentences consisting of silver letters materialized in the corner of his vision, and the words echoed in his head despite not hearing a voice behind them. Setting aside the unnatural occurrence for the time being, he refocused on the man standing at the end of his bed.

Lips twitching, the man growled, "A nobody like that can't shame and injure a member of our House without consequences. Tell me the boy's name, and I'll have him removed from the school immediately."

"Appreciated, but unnecessary for now," Saryn calmly replied.

'No alert this time?' He noted inwardly to himself while also paying heed to his surroundings.

Surprised by the stoic expression on Saryn's face, the large man raised his brows and muttered, "Without your memories, you're really like a different person." The man glanced at the woman sitting nearby the bedside and said, "Viktoria, you spoiled him too much before. Our son's mind seems far sharper now without those memories of being constantly fussed over by you."

"I spoiled him? Are you serious right now?"

The man simply raised a brow as if to say his statement was an obvious conclusion.

Viktoria jumped to her feet, poked the man's chest, and exclaimed, "You are the one who bought him his own mansion last year."

"And you always dote on him at every second to the point he became a weak mama's boy. How many maids did you hire for him? Twenty? And yet you still do all the cooking for him and feed him by hand!"

"Only on weekends!"

Unwilling to hear more about the life of the young man he had supplanted, Saryn sighed again, scratched his temple, and grumbled, "Please stop. You're giving me a headache."

"Sorry, son," The woman apologized, immediately dashing over to his side. Saryn forced himself to permit the gentle caress of her hand through his hair a moment later. The lady's movement was too quick for him to avoid, anyway.

"Are you feeling alright?" The big man asked, displaying a hint of concern with wrinkled brows.

"I'm fine. First of all, who are you? And who am I, for that matter?"

The man's tan face paled a little at the question. Hand reaching up to clench the chest of his mostly black overcoat, he stumbled a little as though hit by a strong blow. Quickly stabilizing himself, the man shook his head and lowered his arm to his side. Standing stiffly like a new military recruit, he stared at Saryn with aloof eyes as though nothing had happened and said, "I am your father, Nihilius von Jeremias. You are my son, Saryn von Jeremias."

…

"That's it?"

"You don't intend to forget mentioning me, do you now, my sweet husband?" The woman at Saryn's side asked with a wide smile. If not for the vein protruding and quivering near her temple, she might have passed it off as a friendly gesture. Not waiting for Nihilius to say anything, the woman smiled genuinely at Saryn and said, "I'm your beautiful and loving mother, Viktoria. I was your favorite parent from the moment you were born."

"Don't lie to your son, Viktoria," Nihilius grumbled, only to receive a silent glare in return.

"I get your names, but aren't there other things you should tell me?"

"Other things don't matter. Family always comes first for a member of House von Jeremias."

Brow raised ever so slightly, Saryn maintained steady eye contact with the man for a few seconds before finally saying, "I see."

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Hands clasped behind his back, Saryn gazed out into the open sea. Wind whipped at his short black hair. A salty sea breeze tickled his nostrils with the scent of late summer. Grains of snow-white sand filtered through his toes as gentle waves lapped at his ankles. Several yellow-green fish with long mouths that looked like an alien amalgamation of swordfish and flyingfish leapt in and out of the water in perfect parabolas in schools reminiscent of salmon.

In the middle of his view, a translucent screen hovered and displayed a series of words that prompted his curiosity even more than the oddly alien environment.

[Main Mission: A True Impuratus]

[Mission Description: Having escaped the fate of a normal Impuratus, you are free to trample, subdue, or outright ignore any Electus in your path. Cheat the death an Impuratus is fated for and find your best ending.]

[Objective: Survive and thrive in a world that wants nothing more than to have you killed for the growth of the "chosen favorites".]

[Reward: Undisclosed, but worth pursuing]

Amidst his ponderings toward the curious main mission in the Imperatus System menu that awoke in this world alongside him, a woman's voice interrupted his thoughts from behind.

"Do you remember anything yet?"

Turning his head, Saryn silently observed the woman who now held the position of his mother. A red one-piece swimsuit covered her modest curves and noticeably cut abdominal muscles. A red bow matching her swimsuit tied her hair in a long ponytail that swayed gently behind her back in the breeze. Her silver-red eyes trembled anxiously in anticipation toward his reply.

'I'm glad this body took after this lady rather than that bear,' Saryn briefly thought to himself. Outwardly however, he showed no reaction aside from shaking his head and saying, "No memories. Beautiful view, though."

"Oho~ Do you mean the sea or your mother?" Viktoria replied with a playful smirk.

Despite the upbeat tone, the woman's trembling eyes didn't escape Saryn's vision. He could see how much she worried about her son in a single glance. The expression brought him a faint sensation of nostalgia that warmed his heart.

"Why not both?" Saryn answered with a slight hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "A beautiful woman and her even more handsome son gazing out at the sea would make for a wonderful painting that could sell for millions."

Stunned silent, Viktoria blinked a few times with her mouth held slightly open. Eventually, a wry smile made its way to her lips before she said, "It seems you improved your flattery skills in exchange for losing your memories. At least you're still my little narcissist, though."

Saryn shrugged and faced the sea again. Viktoria stepped forward and stood by his side. For a short while, she observed his side profile with a scrutinizing gaze, making him feel uncomfortable to the point that his eye twitched uncontrollably.

"What?" He asked, slightly annoyed by the heavy gaze.

"Hmm. Did you really need to cut your hair?"

"It was annoying."

"But it looked so nice! Even I was jealous of it."

"Guys don't usually care about that kind of thing."

"You did. You were always so particular about it for some reason."

"Maybe I was being dumb and trying to impress a girl or something then," Saryn mused after taking into the consideration a teenage boy's thought process. As soon as he said that, the wind lulled, and the air around him stagnated. He could almost feel Viktoria's sharp glare boring into him.

"...I hope I don't have too many daughters-in-law to deal with later."

Lifting an eyebrow, Saryn looked at the woman out of the corner of his eye, but opted not to say anything. He heard similar things from his adopted mother in his past-life so many times that he stopped responding to it.

In an attempt to change the subject, Saryn asked, "How about lunch now?"

"Pft. This reminds me of when you were younger. You always avoided the topic of girls until you met that Feng girl last year. We have some dealings with her parents, so we can still set up some dates with her if you want."

'I guess mothers really never change no matter where you go.'

"No thanks. I don't even remember the girl, so there's no point."

Viktoria sighed and said, "Fine. Let's go grab some lunch, then."

Passing by a handful of other people on the beach who were obviously rich or noble in origin based on their overly extravagant belongings, Saryn and Viktoria meandered toward a luxurious resort building that looked like it had been built from pure gold. The building towered above a circle of hills a few hundred meters from the beachfront.

About halfway to the resort, a cynical male voice called out toward them.

"Eh? If it isn't the former Vice? Fancy meeting you here."

Saryn sighed and scratched his temple.